Dark Sands
by Dark-Tempest
Summary: When the unexpected happens, Bulma is shot into a world where monsters reign supreme and there is little hope. Bulma must now try to find her way back to Vegeta and those she loves most. Graphic Lemons is later chapters. R&R please! Finally updated ch.
1. 1 Unexpected Loss

Authors note: Um..........it made me cry too ok! ^^' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ch. 1 Unexpected Loss  
  
The ominous clouds rolled and clashed, shutting out all light in the turbulent storm raging out of control. Swirling winds tugged at their hair and veins of lighting lit up the sky lending the clouds a reddish glow in the midst of its turmoil as they remained locked in a deadly stare down. SS4 Goku's mocking laughter followed, echoing throughout the night sky, his piercing gaze never leaving Babi's face.  
  
Babi's anger rose, "What is so funny!?"  
  
Goku gave a humorless smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes, "It's just that I couldn't help but notice how much Vegeta is influencing your motives; it's very amusing coming from someone who claims to be invincible."  
  
"What are you talking about? I am in complete control of Vegeta's body!"  
  
Goku laughed again bitterly, "If that's true, then why is SHE still around?" He pointed to the infected Bulma smirking behind Babi. "And don't tell me it's because she's useful. Yes it's true that she possesses great capability in the field of science but is it not true that there are plenty of other capable people in the area with abilities like hers." His eyes shown with dark intent and his mischievous smile widened. "The truth of the matter is that you only kept her around because Vegeta doesn't want anything to happen to her, he's been magnifying her "importance" in your mind to protect her. She is the proof of your weakness."  
  
Babi's rage rose to a deafening pitch, becoming a seething cauldron of black emotion, the dark clouds broiling and cracking with thunder in response to his wrath. "How dare you!" A tint of red flashed in his eyes, his face contorting into a mask of pure, uninhibited fury. "I'll show you I have NO weaknesses!!!"  
  
With that Babi swirled around toward his blue haired minion.  
His woman.  
  
The thought went uncensored through his mind. Babi's eyes widened in shock. That sayian was right! How could he not have known? He had to stop this now before that damn Vegeta took over completely!  
  
Smiling with dark purpose, he turned his attention to the expectant Bulma and hissed, "Tsk tsk. It's a shame but I'm afraid you have outlived your usefulness, my dear." Laughing crudely, he raised his plated, muscular arm toward her, forming a reddish-purple ki blast in his palm.  
  
Bulma's hand went to her throat in a protective gesture and gave a confused, scared look at Babi. "What!!!? What do you mean Mast--!!!?"  
  
Babi shot the ki blast at her before she could finish her sentence, and in that split second she could she the lost, desperate look of despair, of a man unable to protect the one person he cared for the most, softening those cold eyes, Vegeta's eyes, just for a moment before the blazing energy hit her, disintegrating her body.  
  
Babi stood suspended in the air, the triumphant smile slowly fading from his face as an uncontrollable emotion seemed to creep up through his heart.  
Guilt?  
Deep despair?  
Babi's form seemed to waver under the onslaught of the all consuming emotions that seemed to be eating away at his heart. His body doubled over in actual pain, his eyes seeming to burn as grief raked at his insides, clawing at his very soul.  
  
Babi's white hair shimmered, faded; darkening to black as it's shape changed back to spiked trendles. His armor cracked, broke apart to reveal the tattered leather pants and black sleeveless shirt Vegeta always wore, along with his cut-off gloves and black boots. His eyes lost their strange, blue look as they were replaced with eyes filled with inconceivable pain, a scar so deep it could never possibly heal.  
  
Babi's true form was literally torn from Vegeta's body. The metallic blue creature hissed and screamed its unfathomable rage at the smirking SS4 sayian, whose predatory eyes never left him, never blinked, those emotionless eyes that seemed to pierce the soul. That only raised his anger up another notch.  
  
"You planned that you bastard sayian! You DID didn't YOU!!!!" Babi's voice screeched above the howling the turbulent winds.  
  
Goku let out a deep taunting laugh. "Of course I did! You didn't honestly believe I would have you kill someone dear to me without a reason and a way to get them back?"  
  
Babi smoldered with anger, his eyes flashing red with hatred. "So you just think you've won, huh?" A wicked smiled curved the corners of his mouth, "Well, I'm sure there is one thing you did not plan on sayian."  
  
Hundreds of his followers gathered close by to watch their master beat his opponent in this one last bout.  
  
Babi formed a gigantic blackish-red energy ball in his hands. He swirled around toward the heaven planet in which he had sent Bulma and, laughing wickedly, he fired.  
  
Believing the energy ball was meant for him, Goku stood dumbfounded when Babi shot it in the opposite direction, unable to fully comprehend his intentions before it was far too late. He could only stand there in horror as he watched the planet glow a bright yellow before going up in a turbulent explosion. Vegeta's eyes widened in shock as they reflected the bright yellow light that shot off from the annihilated planet.  
  
Shaking with tightly leashed anger, Goku raised his vengeful eyes to the metallic abomination, fire and deadly purpose lingering in their depths. "Die...." Goku bit out in a low, seething voice devoid of any mercy.  
  
Babi looked up from his moment of glory only to witness the white, blazing energy collide with his body, and the feel the agonizing heat incinerate him once and for all in its light.  
  
At once, all of those who were under Babi's control rid themselves of the veil of compulsion, pounding their minds to remember all that had transpired in the time that had past. Bra raised her eyes above to the remains of the planet still shimmering in the black of the night sky causing Gohan, Videl, and the others to do the same, all recognizing what it could only mean.  
  
Bra switches her gaze back and forth between her father and Goku (who has just changed back to his normal self). She takes a few steps toward Goku, looking at him with teary, pleading eyes. "We c-can wish her back right—right Goku? We can wish my mom back with the dragonballs..." Bra shakes her head in disbelief, bringing her hand to her chest, seeing the sorrow answering her in his eyes.  
  
Goku's voice was raw as he gave her the answer, "If you die again once your already dead, your soul no longer exists, Bra, I'm sorry..." He hung his head in defeat, "It's my fault; I don't know what I was thinking...."  
  
A slow movement brought his attention to the man behind him.  
  
Vegeta's hopeless gaze glanced in his direction, deep pain radiating from his very being reflecting in his eyes. All the grief, all the despair seemed to build inside him. His eyes burned with unshed tears that seemed to fill his eyes, making them impossible to blink away this time. The whole world seemed to be crushing down upon his very soul, squeezing his heart to the point of pain. His knees buckled and the tears spilled over; little droplets darkening the ground below him as he hunched over and let out a heart wrenching cry to the heavens. The one person he ever loved, ever could love, was gone forever, leaving him to face eternity alone.  
  
His body shook with anguish even as the clouds at last opened up and poured down their fury upon the earth (although, please note, they are not on Earth). Bra could no longer hold in her tears letting them mingle with the rain as she stumbled toward her father, falling to her knees beside him and holding him to her desperately in despair.  
  
"Dad, I--"her voice cracked and she could only slump against him for comfort as she continued to cry.  
  
Vegeta lifted his empty eyes to peer at his daughter. God, she looked just like her mother. His heart clenched in pain as grief poured into soul. Bulma was gone. His other half. His mate. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the realization of it all. The chance for Bulma losing him had always been great but he never believed the danger of losing her was mutual. Now he was sentenced to live a half life, his only care, to protect his children who still needed him.  
  
Picking Bra up he strode over to the closest transportation machine, bending his head protectively over her shaking body to protect her from the onslaught of the rain. He no longer cared what the others thought, his reputation didn't matter anymore. Bulma was gone and for all the power he possessed, he couldn't bring her back. Fresh tears made their way down his face and his heart ached at the memory. But what hurt the most was that he had never told her he loved her, he was sure she had known it but there were times when she must have wanted to hear him say it. At this moment, he would give anything to just have the chance to hold her and tell her how he felt about her.  
  
I love you, Bulma. 


	2. 2 Endless Sands

((Author comment: Yes....another 'small' chapter. But hey! They're about to get bigger and better! Thanks for your reviews, they really help me out and give me this boost of writing energy which is good for all of you who want the updates. ^-^ More reviews = more updates! Mwhahahaha! So you know what you must do! ))  
  
((Disclaimer: I do not own DBGT or its characters....' darn.....I wanted Vegeta for myself...;_; ))  
  
2. Endless Sands  
  
The grass stretched out over the horizon like a never-ending sea of emerald and small white and yellow flowers grew in little clusters everywhere the suns rays could reach. Yet a foul wind blew in the air, and the entire planet seemed to be blanketed in a veil of deathly silence as Bulma's intense sapphire eyes searched the peaceful landscape relentlessly for the source of this unease. What was happening? Unconsciously, she brought her hand to her throat in a protective feminine gesture. The wind tugged at the trendles of her hair as she turned her head back towards Tabora, lines of worry sketched into the contours of her face, reflected in the depths of her eyes. What was going on down there? Was everyone alright?  
  
Vegeta...  
  
Maleficent clouds darkened the skies and a swirling gale rapidly replaced the gentle breeze, tearing delicate yellow and white pedals from the sea of flowers into its turbulent winds. Bulma was pushed back by the force, rolling and digging her fingers into the soft earth to keep from being blown away. It was when she was able to lift her gaze upward, toward the sky, that she could see the bright flashes of lightning that lit up her features, the gigantic reddish-black energy blast that was coming straight for the planet at a blurring speed.  
  
Her eyes widened in horror, tears shimmering in her eyes as the burning energy blew at her with its tremendous force, causing her to dig her fingers deeper into the soil and rock to keep from being blown away. It cut and burned into her delicate skin, tearing through her clothes. The pain bore into her flesh and bone, the energy far too much for her frail body to bare. Why was this happening to her? Huge earthquakes cracked and bore into the once peaceful terrain, igniting spouts of molten lava and flame to spew hundreds of miles into the reddening sky as the energy engulfed the tiny planet. A high pitched scream ripped from her throat, overflowing with pain as the fierce heat and force of the energy consumed her body completely.  
  
The three moons shown a light purple through the dark rolling clouds that spread across the deep blue of the night sky. Warm, dry winds swept across the barren, endless sands of the desert. Scorpions, mice, and other small animals burrowed into their camouflaged dwellings, seeking shelter from the desert's strong winds. Thunder boomed and rumbled across the stormy sky as flashes of lightning lit up the clouds. The winds picked up, starting to swirl around one spot in the sky, causing the dark clouds to take up the motion. A black void seemed to slowly spread across that tight circle, the boiling thunder crashing loudly against the ominous clouds as if in protest.  
  
A flowing white figure seemed to emerge from the black void, free falling slowly to the earth. It was a woman, the blue trendles of her short hair moving with the wind accenting her fair features although lines of strain were etched near her mouth even in her peaceful state. Glowing specks of light clung to her body in long flowing streams as her body fell from the sky, her long legs dangling behind her falling form. She landed softly on one of the large sand dunes, which appeared a pale blue under the light of the moons, small spouts of sand flying up in all directions around her with the impact. She rolled down the slope unconsciously, finally stopping at the bottom. Grains of sand clung to her tattered clothing; her dress lay in rags, rips and tears in the orange-brown fabric exposing more skin than it was hiding. One of her shoes was missing, revealing her green sock covered in dirt. Smudges of ash and dirt also covered several parts of her body. Her dark eyelashes were two dark cresents on her high, delicate cheekbones.  
  
With a soft moan of protest escaping her lips, her eyes fluttered and rose slowly. Blinking rapidly to bring her surroundings into view, she shifted her position tentatively, slowly drawing herself up into a sitting position. Moving her head from side to side, her deep blue eyes searched the area, looking for anything familiar. That was when she spotted the three lavender moons filling the dark night sky. On Earth, Piccalo had blown up the moon to stop Gohan from destroying the Earth when he had transformed into a giant ape. But here there were three moons, the light, blueish-purple one was the largest off to the east. The other two were smaller and close together, farther to the west. Where was she? What had happened? She remembered being consumed by the energy, the blackness that had enveloped her after. But now she was stranded in some weird desert world..... What was going on?  
  
Gingerly she stood up, brushing the sand off of her skin with her hands. Her mind worked furiously to sort through the cloud of confusion filling her mind with uncertainty to find a solution, to find out where she could possibly be. She had never heard of a heaven planet looking like this. Was she in some kind of purgatory? Shakily, she started off, making her way up and down the endless sea of sand dunes, searching for any sign of life that could help her figure out what was happening. The black emptiness was oppressing, unbearable as she stumbled forward through the sand with no place to go.  
  
Time seemed to slowly drift by, minutes turning into hours until the orange sun began illuminate the black night. Bulma stopped in her tracks, her large blues eyes watching in utter amazement as the light of the sun spilled across the endless sands, lighting up the golden sea of dunes. With a sigh, she ran a sand covered hand through the blue trendles falling over her face, leaving the strands flying in disarray. She started off again, climbing another particularly big dune, her hands desperately trying to get a hold on the loose sand as she hurled her body up.  
  
The wind swirled clouds sand in little dust devils as the sun slowly rose to its peak in the vast sky, blinding wandering eyes. Bulma trudged on, sweat clinging to her body and dripping off of the darkened strands of her light blue hair to fall to the ground. The heat of the sun burned her delicate exposed skin, leaving it red and raw, as the sand grew unbearably hot, burning holes into her green sock, scorching the sole of her foot. Her hands and knees were blistering from the agonizing heat of the sand as she climbed, tears burning behind her eyes and in her dry throat at the intense pain of her mounting wounds. Bulma found herself praying desperately for the sun to set and end this painful torture.  
  
The light of the sky began to dim, the sun sinking beyond the horizon leaving behind light hues blue and lavender slowly darkening into deeper hues of midnight blue and purple. Endless hours of mind-numbing pain had past leaving Bulma stumbling across the cooling sands. Her knees buckled in exhaustion and pain, her burnt injured body molding into a cool bed of sand. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and sleep, allow the comfort of slumber to take away the burning pain throbbing all over her frail body. Just as she lowered her lashes, she heard the crunch of sand underneath what sounded like a boot. Her dark lashes fluttered up, her body reluctantly forcing itself up into a sitting position to look at who was before her. Her eyes focused on the dark shadow spreading across the sand around her, moving until she came in contact with the large looming figure.  
  
At first it looked like a man with long dark hair tied at the nape of his neck dressed in all black glaring down at her. But then she noticed the paleness of his skin, the long ragged nails grown yellow with rot. His skin seemed to be stretched far too tight across his skull, the hollows under his cheek bones clearly apparent. His mouth was drawn up into a snarl of a smile, his blackened gums receding in his mouth, exposing long bloodstained fangs protruding from the other sharpened teeth. His eyes were pitch black with a thin ring of crimson surrounding its merciless void, fire flickering in their depths. 


	3. 3 One Last Prayer

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. I had exams and the lot. –bows rapidly- Forgive me!!! Well the chapter is here now so enjoy it. Alright!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own dbgt .... –grumbles-  
  
Ch. 3 One Last Prayer  
  
"Look at what we have here. A young woman lost and alone in the desert. Fancy that. Tell me, Love, how is it you have strayed so far from your village?" His gaze gleamed with dark purpose, staring down upon her small frame, as his voice whispered in a menacing growl, sending chills down her spine making her suddenly very cold.  
  
"V-village? What are you talking about?" Was this guy serious? Her heart began to pound in her chest, so loud she was sure he could hear it. Her lungs screamed for oxygen yet she couldn't seem to drag enough in. Terror was taking over her body, paralyzing her ability to move. He had to be some sort of monster. A demon. A vampire. The idea was preposterous. Vampires were a myth; a legend. Yet Bulma was positive that this man was a dangerous predator, a mythological creature come alive from the pages of old stories. But how was that possible?  
  
His blackened lips drew up into a silent snarl, his red-rimmed eyes glowing a lethal crimson as he whipped his thin arm out with blurring speed, his hand clamping down on her vulnerable throat. Ruthlessly, he hefted her up eye level to him, his long sharp nails digging into the soft skin of her neck like poisoned talons. Ignoring her flailing attempts to hit him, to wrench away the iron grip on her throat closing off her air, he leaned in closer, his voice an unbearable shriek filled with menace and hatred.  
  
"Don't play stupid, Woman! Do you think me a Fool?!!" His snarl died down into a slow, hideous grin, revealing his yellow, decaying fangs and portraying the sudden twist of his demented thoughts. "No matter.....I shall have to punish you and teach you not to defy an ancient."  
  
With that, the vampire launched himself into the air taking the struggling Bulma with him, massive black wings ripping through the skin and muscles of his back to spread out across the darkness of the night sky. Pumping his wings furiously, he hurled himself across the night, clutching Bulma to him in an iron grip, the pressure threatening to break her ribs and back. Bulma found it increasingly hard to breath and gave up struggling, trying her best not to give in to the swirling black vortex of unconsciousness. Yet she couldn't fight the all-consuming fear engulfing her heart and clouding her mind. Was he going to drink her blood? Kill her? She wanted Vegeta to be there more than anything; acting like he cared about her for once and trying to save her. But she was stranded in some deserted dimension and was about to face a vampire intent on killing her.  
  
After a while, strangely she felt the spray of cool mist on her face, the air smelling like salt water. Slowly she squinted her eyes against the now cold turbulent winds tugging insistently at her short blue hair and numbing her skin, trying to peer though to the mist below. As she focused her gaze, she realized that a vast ocean lay beneath her and far off in the distance lay a small rocky island no bigger than a few miles long. This thing was taking her there, she was sure of it. To kill her.... The thought send her heart racing in fear, the sound drowning out the ever climbing roar of the waves crashing and foaming against the high cliffs of the island. As she felt the vampire start to descend, she squeezed her eyes shut, praying silently for someone, anyone to come save her.  
  
The vampire landed abruptly, a demented grin parting his blackened lips as he watched her land on her hands and knees. Bulma cringed at the landing, the impact bruising her knees and her palms. A frown contorted the vampire's features when she didn't get up fast enough for his liking. Impatiently he snatched her wrist in a vise like grip, his nails digging deeply into her skin as the pressure shattered the bone. Bulma let out a small whimper of protest as pain lanced through her frail body from her wrist. Sneering, he yanked her up and pulled her with him into the interior of the large cave dominating most of the small island.  
  
Pushing back the burning pain pulsing in her wrist, Bulma looked around the cavern as she was pulled deeper into its recesses. The stench of blood and sea water filled the room, clung to the damp cave walls. They stopped at a large cavernous room; the sand was wet, an obvious reminder that the room had no defense against the daily rise of the tides outside the cave. She looked around, her eyes widening in horror as they fixed on the opposite wall. There hung several pairs of rusted manacles; the wall stained a reddish-brown from layers of blood.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat as a hand whirled her around and she found herself staring into black, menacing eyes tinged in red. His arms dragged her close to him in an unbreakable grip. She could smell his fetid breath, the scent of blood and death as his slowly lowered his head to her neck. She felt helpless as his hot, foul breath touched her neck.  
  
"Don't. Oh God, please don't." She whispered. A prayer. A plea. She could feel her legs weakening, threatening to buckle beneath her.  
  
"Your God has abandoned you. Now you're mine." He whispered back with finality. His sharpened fangs closed over her exposed throat, puncturing deeply into her skin, the pain intense beyond anything she had encountered. He dragged her in his arms, nearly crushing her as his mouth feasted on her, gulping down her rich blood. Her body felt weak and sluggish; her heart stuttered and labored as he continued to drain her. Her lashes drifted down even as she told herself she had to fight for Vegeta, Bra, Trunks, and the others. Her body sagged against the vampire's frame helplessly.  
  
He lifted his head, blood trickling down the side of his mouth as he smiled wickedly with evil intent. "Now you must drink to live." He used his teeth to tear a gaping wound in his wrist and pressed it forcefully to her mouth. She tried to struggle, to turn away but he held her easily, forcing the poisonous fluid past her lips, his hand stroking her throat to get her to swallow convulsively.  
  
At last he threw her to the ground, his putrid tongue closing the wound on his wrist. Bulma coughed several times, trying to spit out the wretched liquid. She struggled to get up but her broken wrist was useless, throbbing with pain. She looked up at him looming over her triumphantly, his merciless black eyes gleaming with sick delight and his black, blood tainted lips drawn up in a grotesque grin. Her heart sped up, fear clogging her throat as she thought of what he was going to her. Chain her to the blood-stained wall and torture her before killing her? Her mind was a litany of prayer, asking, begging for anyone to find her, help her. A last thread of hope.  
  
The creature's face twisted with anger as Bulma remained on the sand where he had thrown her. He lifted his foot and kicked her, the force knocking her farther into the recesses of the cave. Bulma let out a small cry of pain as she hunched over holding herself, her body throbbing with agony. A sharp pain raced through her body every time she took a breath and she knew that several of her rips had been broken on contact. The vampire laughed softly at her raw gasps, the sound unbearable to her ears.  
  
"You didn't honestly believe that I was finished, did you Girl? We have just begun..." His voice dripped with sick enjoyment and dark purpose, the sound grating down on her. Inside, she repeated the same litany, praying for help, her last strand of hope.

_Vegeta, come for me. Somebody help me. Find me. Save me. I can't do this alone...._


	4. 4 Punishment

((Author's note: I'm sorry it took me so long!! Don't hate me! –commits seppuku- Anyway, this chapter isn't for the weak of stomach. It has a dark lemon so be warned. Its essential to the story! I have not choice! Blame my mind...-looks around all paranoid like-))

((Disclaimer: See whichever chapter that I had it on))

Ch. 4 Punishment

The vampire grinned wickedly, parting his sick black lips to reveal putrid yellow fangs stained with her blood, small rivers of crimson flowing down his pale white chin to drip onto the wet sand. Bulma pushed back the throbbing pain washing throughout her body and glared up at him with her sapphire eyes, hiding her fear deep inside, away from prying eyes. She would not show him her fear although it threatened to clog her throat and had entrenched itself tightly around her heart. She spat at his feet and looked fiercely up at him, rebellion evident in her very posture.

"Why don't you kill me and get it over with, buddy!?

The vampire's smile died on his face as he saw the defiance in her eyes. He let out a screech of pure rage and leapt over to where she was laying. He brought up his thin ghastly hand and slammed it across her cheek, his long sharp nails raking over her soft skin like claws, forming four long red ribbons of blood over her cheekbone and jaw. She cried out in pain, the poison of his long jagged nails seeping into the cut, making it burn excruciatingly. His black merciless eyes raged at her, glowing red with retribution. So she wanted to play dirty did she? Soon his scowl died down and another wide hideous grin formed on his depraved lips, and evil laugh hissing through his bared teeth.

"Not so brave and tough, now, are you Girl? Like I said, we are not finished, not by far...' He moved closer to her, towering over her frail body as his shadow seemed to blanket her small form. "...by the time I am finished with you, you will beg me for death. But even then I will not grant it. I will teach you the true meaning of pain..." With that he reached down and tore open the top of her dirty orange dress, the material ripping into several strips as he tore at it with his jagged nails, grazing her soft skin with cuts.

She immediately started struggling wildly against his stronger body, her fists thudding against his chest, his face, anything she could reach. Her voice was a shriek of rage as she screamed at him. "What the hell are you doing!!? Stop!!"

He laughed wickedly at her livid words, at the tone of desperation that ran almost hidden beneath the defiant anger. "I am merely punishing you, my dear, for your impudence." He hissed the words against her cheek, his hot putrid breath stirring the blue trendils of her hair and causing her stomach to roll and knot in rebellion. His foul lips crushed down onto her full ones in a bruising kiss, making her struggle even more ferociously for freedom from his strength.

Bulma let out a series of shrill screams, her limbs straining to push him off of her much smaller body. Her nails clawed at his face, her fisted palms pounding against the immense expanse of his pale chest that gaped from his unbuttoned shirt, even as she called desperately for someone, anyone to help her, to save her from the fate she knew was about to come.

The vampire let out a feral growl, crimson swirling in the black depths of his merciless eyes, rippling over the dark irises like fire consuming black coal. With crushing strength he seized her struggling arms and pinned them above her head, the force of his grip sending shards of pain racing through her broken wrist. She let out a gasp of pain, the sound making a twisted smile form on his blackened lips, baring his bloodstained fangs to her terrified gaze. Her body continued to struggle, kicking and screaming, even as he released his aching body from the confines of his pants. His free hand pinned her hips still for his invasion, his long sharp nails digging into her soft flesh even as he nudged his knee between her resisting thighs with bruising force, leaving her body open and vulnerable to his demented perversions.

Her sapphire eyes widened even more with terror, desperate pleas shrieking through her mind for someone to save her. She tried to heave him off of her body with her own, her legs kicking the backs of his thighs but it was impossible being held as vulnerable as she was.

The vampire shifted his hips back then surged forward into her tight hot sheath, the force tearing at the walls of her feminine passage. She cried out in excruciating pain, tears falling down her face as she squeezed her eyes shut. His shaft was large and her body unwilling to receive any tainted part him. Low warning hisses and growls issued from his throat as he pounded into her small tight body, his cruel laughter grating on her ears as he basked in her suffering, in the writhing of her frail body. He buried himself even harder inside of her, ripping through her reluctant feminine sheath and stretching her, the force making her whimper and scream in pain as the tears streamed down from her eyes. She struggled more wildly and his jagged nails bit deeper into her hip, scraping and tearing at her exposed flesh leaving ribbons of crimson blood. He bit into her neck savagely, the raw torn flesh already burning with his poisonous saliva. He drew on her blood, feeding off of her as he took her body for his own pleasure, seeking domination over her struggling form.

Bulma cried out at the sharp consuming pain of his teeth sinking into the torn burning flesh of her neck, his tainted saliva burning at her skin. Her vision started to blur into darkness, the pain slurring together as her movements became more sluggish. She felt his body shudder at the peek of his twisted pleasure, his contaminated seed spilling itself into her torn, burning feminine sheath.

He raised his head from her neck, not bothering to close the wound as rivers of blood rolled down her neck to drip onto the wet sand. She heard him curse in that shrill voice that raked over her ears as she started to fade out of reality, the black void of unconsciousness coming to claim her. Perhaps it was death. He bit into his wrist and forced it to her mouth, the tainted liquid scorching her throat as he made her swallow. She struggled against him, trying to spit out the atrocious fluid but he stroked her throat, forcing her to swallow convulsively.

A voice sounding oddly familiar came from the entrance of the cave, deep and insistent. The vampire wretched his hand away as his head snapped up at the sound, a mask of rage and annoyance evident there, and closed the wound with a flick of his snake-like tongue, not nearly having replaced the amount of blood she had lost. She felt a strange lethargy steal over her body, drifting on a sea of pain. Her head lolled to the side, her vision blurring as she looked toward the entrance of the cave. She could barely make out the shape of a man faintly glowing with golden light before the blackness consumed her.


	5. Dreams and Confusion

((Author's Note: Yes, I know you all thought I would never update but alas I have done so! Its been a while and I'm out of practice, I've been wallowing in my own self pity and have been drawing characters for the manga I might...kinda do. ' But I cannot leave this story unfinished and you readers unsatisfied! Read and enjoy! -headbangs-))

((Disclaimer: Do officials even care what I write about!!? They are mine all mine! whaha! Okay I'm good))

Vegeta bolted awake, his body heaving with the force of his breaths as he tried to drag the air into his starving lungs. His body was drenched in a cold sweat, the sheets tangled around his legs uncomfortably. His dark eyes clouded as he reached a hand up to pull through the thick, black tresses of his hair in agitation.

The dream had been so real, so vivid. When he had closed his eyes that night, he had been disoriented at first as the dream had pulled him through time and space, the empty void of darkness and stars blurring and hissing past. When the motion had stopped, the shadows slowly receding into unrealistic clarity. What had been revealed to him would haunt his very soul, dream or no dream. A dim cavern loomed all around him, the walls glinting with the flow of minuscule rivers as they ran down the rocks uneven surface. His gaze traveled around the crevices of the cave as he moved closer to the wall and the cover the clinging shadows provided. The scent of blood was strong, both old and new, as he sniffed the air tentatively. A piercing scream of pain caught his attention immediately, the voice oddly familiar. He found himself turning the corner swiftly, careful to stay within the cover of the shadows. His heart nearly stopped at the vision before him. His Bulma lay broken and bleeding beneath the half naked body of some loathsome creature as it forced its wretched, contaminated blood into her mouth. The horrid sight wrenched from him a seething cauldron of swirling black rage, the dangerous emotion swelling and writhing inside his chest till he felt his very eyes grow red with murderous retribution. _Nobody hurts my Mate and survives..._

Even now the anger evoked by the dream and the pain of her loss robbed him of breath, constricted his chest with raw emotion. His long fingers pressed tightly against the tanned skin of his bared chest over his heart as if the gesture could bring him some measure of solace. As if he could rip his heart from his body to stop the endless onslaught of grief. His gaze drifted down to the empty pillow beside him where her sleeping body would have been. Vegeta swallowed the knot forming in his throat, his pained gaze sweeping over the room. He had kept it the same, even the arrangement she had at her little vanity in the corner of the room near the door to the bathroom, with its wide mirror and multitude of hair accessories and make-up which she had left in slight disarray the last time she had used it. When he looked at it, it almost gave him the feeling that she was still there. That she was up and about with her work, waiting for him to come downstairs. But his heart always reminded him that she was gone, lost to him forever and he would never be allowed to follow, even in death. His hand moved up to cover his eyes as they burned with rising tears, as if to hide the heart-wrenching truth of it all. His mate was gone. His other half. _Bulma...._

In a jumbled blur, Bulma remembered the sound of a familiar deep voice emerge from her hazy veil of pain as it yelled out words in a flurry of rage although she didn't have the energy to decipher the words. From her confused haze, she heard the sound of fists and limbs coming in contact with flesh at a bone breaking force, the sound of an unearthly ear-piercing scream of rage and denial quickly accompanied by the distinct snapping of a bone. Bulma recalled being hoisted into a pair of strong arms, her head against a hard chest. Agony and time blurred together into a tangled mass that she was just too weary to care about, emotionally or mentally.

The scent of fresh air and spice drove away the stench of blood and evil as she felt the wind tug at her battered body. In her sense of weightlessness she was almost sure she was being flown through the sky. Her head was throbbing and spun dangerously with dizziness when her eyes fluttered open just a bit. Her entire body was throbbing with dull burning pain, she was riding on a sea of it, but as she lifted her lashes drowsily, she could make out the faint outline of a person's face. Her hand went up weakly to lightly touch the shadowed jaw, the movement sending needles of pain shooting through her right side. It wasn't a familiar face. The lines slowly cleared to reveal a man with a sensual yet boyish face, the curve of it somewhat feminine but handsome all the same. The hair was a vibrant gold, spiked at one side and falling around his forehead on the other. With some effort, she could make out the color of his eyes, a slashing molten amber.

A soft murmur of discomfort and distress emerged from her bruised lips as she closed her eyes, burying her face into his chest. She was exhausted yet had no idea who she was with or where she was being taken. The fatigue crept into her body and mind, forcing her back into some sort of troubled rest. She felt it when they landed back on solid ground, the movements of his steps jarring her body despite his best efforts. Sounds of a bustling village preparing for sleep greeted her in her dazed-like state.

That was when she heard a deep authoritive voice address the man whom was carrying her. Hushed voices of other observers seemed to surround the two as if in silent awe. Although she couldn't attempt to open her eyes, Bulma's mind was awake enough to listen to the conversation.

"Who is she, Akaiden?" That deep voice was concerned but also very wise. It was in his authoritive, confident tone. Most likely he was some sort of leader, a man of experience and knowledge.

"I'm not so sure, Sensei. I was hunting and found this little one ill used and helpless in one of the Dark Ones' lairs. I thought it best to bring her back here for your counsel." Her carrier had a fair good-humored voice but for now it was heavy with worry. There was also deep reverence for the elder, perhaps he was a student his. Her mind was unconsciously putting pieces together to make them fit, even in her weakened state. Although she was attempting to put it all together, she was more confused than anything. Mostly, she wanted to let the dark void of sleep take her away from her pain and confusion. From this place of horrors and fear. She burrowed closer to Akaiden's chest in hopes of doing just that, a soft whimper escaping her throat.

"And the monster?" The Elder asked in an objective voice.

"Dead." His answer was stagnant as well, very serious.

"Take her inside, Akaiden. She has been through much. I'll have a look at her wounds and see what I can do to heal them."

With a slight nod from Akaiden, Bulma felt herself being taken into a shelter of a sort and set down onto a bed of soft pillows and cushions. Her entire body finally felt relaxed despite being sore as she sunk thankfully into the softness of the makeshift bed, sleep drawing her away from reality almost immediately.


	6. Revelations

((Author's note: Heh, I'm gunna start making my chapter's longer and this one has more dialogue...evil evil dialogue...my weakness! -twitches- Aw, well, at least I got the chapter done! Woot! ))

Ch. 6 Revelations

As she sifted through the foggy layers of sleep, Bulma was surrounded by the soothing scents of herbs and candles, a gentle warmth flooding the room with a feeling of safety and contentment. She burrowed more deeply into the softness of the silken pillows, reveling in the feel of the soft fur blanket and futon as it rubbed against her skin. Her skin? Her sapphire eyes snapped open as she bolted upright in the bed clutching the fur blanket to her breasts. The blue strands of her hair were on end as her gaze focused and locked on a man grinding herbs into a small clay bowl in a patient manner.

He was an aging man. Not too old but there where lines etched into what she supposed used to be a rather handsome face and strands of gray streaked his dark hair. He was tan from long days in the sun although it was his eyes that caught her attention. Intelligent gray eyes that knew many secrets yet knew the ring of laughter. He sat poised at the far side of the rather large tent working intently, a look of knowledge and good humor on his face. Her tension subsided a bit at the sight of him. Those lines had been carved from good-natured laughter.

"I'm glad you are finally awake, little one. I trust you are feeling better?" It seemed to Bulma that he didn't even have to ask. It was as if he already had the answers.

"Yes... Yes I am." Her voice sounded low and withdrawn even to her own ears.

He finished grinding the herbs and sat up, diligently mixing it into a small clay bowl of water, his slight smile thoughtful as he moved over to her and handed her the bowl. "Here drink this. It will help with the minor burning sensation in your stomach that you are experiencing."

"Burning sensation?" She blinked a few times as she cupped the bowl in her hands, her mind focusing on her body. Yes there was a slightly uncomfortable warmth spreading in her stomach, making it churn but she hadn't even noticed in the midst of her own thoughts. She brought the bowl to her lips and tipped the liquid down her throat. It was good. And abnormally cold as if the concoction was some sort of liquid ice lava, cooling the heat twisting in her stomach.

Bulma blinked up at the man in amazement. "What was that?" It was... She didn't quite have the words to describe it. The taste had been slightly minty but the sensation itself was like magic.

"Cold?" There was amusement in his voice. A genuine humor that made her want to smile with him. "Yes, of course its cold. How better to fight fire but with ice."

An answering grin tugged at her lips and she found it amazing that she could do so without pain. All the cuts and bruises that she had sustained from that abomination were no where to be found. Not even the faintest ache of a soar muscle. The smile faded from her face as she looked up at him with a mask of seriousness.

"How did I heal so fast? Where am I and who exactly are you? What was that thing that attacked me? A vampire? What exactly is going on here?" Her questions rushed out of her like an avalanche of confusion and demand for answers. Her deep blue eyes held his with that blazing determination that everyone back home had known her for. More like feared her for. She maybe a weak little human in comparison but there was no way they could ever stand a chance against her temper or her brains. Most of the time it was that temper that would override any trace of fear for self-preservation.

The old man was surprised by her amount of spunk. Even after all that she had been through and the horrendous tortures that the dark one had subjected her to, she was still demanding and fiery without the slightest a trace of fear. Little did she know that he had spent a great deal of his energy healing her wounds. The poisonous toxins secreted through the blood, seed, saliva and nails of a demon severely impaired the healing arts and would have continued to spread and infect without aid.

Sadly the damage had already been dealt with the demon forcing of his tainted blood into her body. One tainted blood exchange would have been possible to fight against but two was just too much of the contaminated substance to destroy. Even now it was spreading in her stomach, forcing her body through the Change. There wasn't much time

He settled down on his knees beside the little bed of pillows and fur blankets on which she sat waiting for his answer. More like fuming with demanding silence. She certainly was a brave little thing. "Perhaps you should tell me exactly where you are from, Little One, so that I may be able to answer your questions with a little more insight." He kept his voice calm and persuasive, purely genuine and logical to keep her at ease.

Almost at once Bulma's dark lashes swept down to hide the expression in her eyes. How could she tell him that she was from a different planet, an entirely different dimension for that matter? She was having enough trouble coping with the idea herself. How could he possibly understand? He would think her crazy. And what about everyone else back home? Trunks was already well off in his career as the president of Capsule corp. but Bra still needed her, didn't she?

And what of Vegeta? Her heart lurched at the name. Did he even miss her? The thought of him just getting up and going on with his life without her, forgetting her, sent a heavy stone crushing down on her heart, her chest tight with pain.

Sensing the young woman's sudden distress, her withdrawal, the old man placed both of his roughened, tanned hands on her shoulders to draw her attention back to him. "I know you are a stranger to this place, little one, to this world. You are confused and afraid but, for now, you must learn to trust me and the people here. Do not underestimate my capability for understanding, little bird. I have seen much in my long existence."

Her brilliant blue eyes snapped back up to his face, forgetting the wrenching in her chest as she searched his faded gaze for the sincerity of his words. "You know what happened to me? Such a thing has happened before?" How could he possibly know? If it had happened before, perhaps he had the answer to get back to her world. Bulma nearly fell off of the make-shift bed in the midst of her excitement.

"Calm down, little bird. Yes, I have an idea of what has happened to you. I can faintly recall stories passed down in legend speaking of beings falling from the skies, entities of different worlds reborn into this one. I have lived long in the world and the stories are ancient ones, hardly taken as anything but myths told at campfires to amuse children." His eyes were pale and steady as he relayed her the information, a lifeline to reality when her mind was racing a hundred miles an hour to put the pieces together.

"Reborn? That makes sense. I was killed on Earth first Bulma–" Her body shivered at the fleeting memory of the painful heat consuming her body. "then on the heaven planet. It is said that once you die twice, your physical and spiritual bodies, you cease to exist. I never thought you got shot into an alternate universe or anything." Her soft voice was musing as she turned over the information in her head, piecing everything together. But something was slowly drawing her attention away from her revelations and questions. That heat in her stomach was surfacing again and starting to move through the muscles of her abdomen, growing hotter at an alarming rate as it spread and churned.

Sensing her discomfort, the old man pressed a callused hand to her abdomen over the fur blankets, centering his mind on the heat the tainted blood was creating as it grew and spread through her organs and tissues, forcing her body through the Change despite his best efforts to delay it.

Frowning, he opened his steady gray eyes and looked at her. She was clearly distressed, her expressive eyes pleading for an explanation to the alien heat growing painful and spreading throughout her bloodstream. "What's happening to me?" Her voice was a thread of sound, tinged with real fear. Her mind was actually thumbing through a list of diseases and their symptoms for an answer.

"The Dark One has given you his blood and it is spreading and altering your muscles and tissues into that of its master. There was too much of it for me to remove from your system but if you exchange blood with me, we can shift its course enough so that your soul can remain intact through the Change." He was very still as he watched for her reaction, his voice powerful and soothing.

"I'm going to be a vampire! I am NOT gunna be a blood-sucker!" Her voice was a shrill scream, enough to make anyone cringe in fear and her sapphire eyes were blazing with a mixture of outrage and fear. This was the notorious temper Bulma was known for and it was a powerful thing. "There is no way I'm drinking your blood!"

The man blinked several times to clear his shocked expression, nearly falling over at her reaction. He hadn't been prepared for that one. Tears, yes. Hysteria, absolutely. But the explosive, outraged scream in his ear was definitely a first. He almost had the audacity to burst out laughing. This young woman didn't just have spunk, she had it in spades.

"A blood-sucker? You needn't worry, little one, an oral transfusion will not be necessary although it can be done that way as well. The linking of two freely flowing wounds is an equally powerful transfusion." He was clearly amused by her fiery spirit and her colorful dialogue to say the least but he remained careful of her delicate emotional state. This was much for someone to absorb and time was quickly running out.

Her breath hitched at the unspoken meaning in his explanation. Freely flowing open wound. He meant a fresh cut. As alarming as the thought was, the heat had already turned into a full fledged fire, torching her insides and making her hunch over with the intensity it. The pain took her breath as it raked through her muscles and veins. She didn't want to become a vampire and she didn't have much of a choice. It was this or bloodsucker and the second just wasn't an option. The pain was tearing her thoughts away from her and Bulma wasn't sure how long she would be able to think clearly. She had to make the choice now.

Bulma choked back a scream of pain as she remained hunched over on her knees against the waves of fire tore at her insides. "Fine, damnit, just give me a fucking knife! I refuse to be a vampire."

The man nodded solemnly and unsheathed a small dagger from his boot, handing it to her with concern evident in his steely gaze. "Just slice a thin line over your palm. I can do it for you if you are unsure."

"I'm more sure with me slicing my own hand open while I shaking and swamped with the menstral cramps from hell rather than with _you _hovering over_ my_ hand with a sharp knife, alright!" She was on the last of her nerves with the waves of pain clawing at her, scattering her sanity and her inability to control any of it. She needed some control over what was happening to her body. She bit down hard on her lower lip and she squeezed her eyes shut, slicing the blade across her open palm quickly.

The healer immediately took the knife and dragged it down his own palm in one swift motion before linking her hand in his, his free hand easing her back down onto her side into the comfort of the soft furs. Already, his potent blood was racing through her bloodstream, diluting the tainted blood into something closer to the elemental composition of his own.

The painful fire in her bloodstream dimmed with the mixing of the two sources, but the heat didn't entirely leave. Warmth pulsed and spread light and energy throughout her body so that her muscles relaxed and she drifted on it, her hand remaining linked with the old man , her lifeline in the eye of the storm. She felt drowsy, her body growing intensely achy and lethargic as if she had trained inside the gravity machine like Vegeta. Her mouth curved in a slight smile at the thought.

The Change was sending a relaxing sort of warmth coursing through every cell of her body, every muscle and organ, doing something inside her that Bulma was just too tired to examine too closely. Even her skin felt overly warm as heat spread over it, lingered and seeped into her very being. The entire sensation felt odd but strangely soothing, like relaxing in a nice hot spring. Bulma didn't even bother to open her eyes as she felt the healer shift away from her to start grinding up more herbs. The sounds of him bustling about, pouring the herbs into various bowls and heating up assortments of mixtures so that the drugging scents seemed to fill the air of the tent and find their deep in her lungs, managed to send her into a somnolent sleep.


End file.
